Xiasianggu (Summer Shiitake Mushrooms) of Píngnán

Xiasianggu (Summer Shiitake Mushrooms) of Píngnán

　　Summer Shiitake Mushrooms

　　Píngnán is the "Hometown of China’s Summer Shiitake Mushrooms." The fragrant summer shiitake mushrooms have gained fame both domestically and abroad. In recent years, the production of summer shiitake mushrooms, off-season vegetables, fruits, and flowers in Píngnán has developed rapidly. The county plants a total of 30 million bags of summer shiitake mushrooms, 50 million bags of flower mushrooms, over 5,000 acres of off-season vegetables, and more than 100,000 acres of younai (a type of plum), seedless persimmons, and castanopsis. There are currently over 300 fresh mushroom preservation factories of various sizes, producing more than 6,000 tons of preserved mushrooms annually and generating US$12 million in foreign exchange. Píngnán has become the largest fresh mushroom preservation base in China. Specialty agriculture has begun to take shape. In addition, Longtan Shumin Liquor, a local specialty, is made from high-quality glutinous rice using traditional folk brewing techniques. It is known for its health benefits such as warming yang, boosting immunity, nourishing kidneys, enriching blood, and strengthening the body, making it highly favored by consumers. The product is sold across the country.

　　Over the past few years, the edible fungi industry has become a pillar of Píngnán’s rural economic development. Currently, 80% of the county’s farming households are engaged in edible fungus production; there are more than 3,000 marketing personnel operating in major cities and provinces across the country and internationally; there are over 3,000 mushroom processing factories of various sizes, 32 preservation factories, 45 refrigerated trucks, and a post-production processing and sales team consisting of 5 supporting factories such as foam box and carton manufacturers, forming a relatively complete pre-production, mid-production, and post-production service system. At the same time, the Píngnán County Fungus Research Institute has been established, implementing and promoting key provincial science and technology projects: “Breeding of High-Temperature Summer Shiitake Mushroom Strains,” “Breeding of Low-Temperature Shiitake Mushroom Strains,” and “Research on Artificial Regulation to Promote Flower Mushroom Formation.” This enables year-round mushroom production and has established 10 demonstration bases for year-round cultivation of flower mushrooms, summer shiitake mushrooms, and tremella. Píngnán has become a large-scale city of fresh mushrooms.